The Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability and left knee disability have been remanded due to the need for an addendum medical opinion regarding whether his disabilities are secondary to his service-connected bilateral pes planus.
The deciding factor: An addendum medical opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran's low back disability and left knee disability are at least as likely as not proximately due and/or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral pes planus.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of lumbar spine, Spinal stenosis, Lumbar radiculopathy (back disability), Left knee joint and degenerative arthritis and instability (left knee disability)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2022
- Citation
- A22024473
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A22024473.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial higher rating for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is denied, and he is granted initial ratings of 40% each for peripheral neuropathy affecting both lower extremities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for his lumbar spine condition and left lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to incomplete service records and a lack of relevant VA treatment records. The Board will seek additional opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, herniated disc, IVDS and spinal stenosis is rated at 40 percent since August 19, 2020. The appeal period did not show unfavorable ankylosis or incapacitating episodes of IVDS.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis and spinal stenosis of the lumbar spine, finding that symptoms began during service and have persisted since.
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